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Tribeca announces 2008 sponsors

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The Tribeca Film Festival announced its lineup of 2008 sponsors, including newcomers LG Electronics and Snapple, which will use the festival as a platform for new product launches.

Twelve of 14 signature sponsors have returned this year, with five new ones signed on for the six-figure sponsorship level -- the highest available after that of founding sponsor American Express. In addition to LG and Snapple, newcomers include financial services company iShares, the New School and the Borough of Manhattan Community College. Sponsorship dollars also are up over 2007, but Tribeca officials declined to provide a specific figure. They said the sponsorship dollars amounted to 80% of Tribeca's operational budget.

"In just a few short years, the Tribeca Film Festival has become a powerful platform for top brands to reach their target audience and support filmmakers," festival co-founder Craig Hatkoff said.

Added Tribeca COO Jon Patricof: "We attract a significant consumer audience, and it's something that I think differentiates Tribeca from a number of other festivals. The fact that we reach such a critical mass of consumers here in New York City, in this very important market, I think has really helped us attract some of the leading national brands."

Through its signature media sponsors -- which include Yahoo, Bloomberg, IFC, WNBC-TV New York, the New York Times and Vanity Fair -- as well as general festival coverage and visual impressions in Manhattan, Tribeca reaches significantly beyond its 500,000 attendees, Patricof said. He estimated total marketing and PR impressions for 2007 at more than 4 billion.

Among the sponsors, LG will feature the newest addition to its LCD HDTV line at the festival and also serve as the main sponsor of the "Encounters" series. Snapple will present its new line of Snapple antioxidant waters as a co-sponsor of the Tribeca Drive-In and will provide samples at Tribeca's family festival street fair.

Irish whiskey maker Jameson is bringing the festival experience to airports around the world, recreating "mini movie theaters" where airline passengers can view festival highlights while sampling the liquor brand.

Additionally, iShares will sponsor a new program that offers screenings and discussions with filmmakers, hosted by a noted industry personality.